How it works for me is that a scene comes to mind, usually a scene between the hero and heroine, that depicts the emotional conflict. From that scene, the characters come alive for me. I don't do a lot of preplanning in any way when I write.

I despise stereotypes. A gay man can be a macho athlete, or he can be an interior designer or any career in between.

Having kids is the deal-breaker on shyness! Once you have a baby, you learn to speak up loud and clear to protect them, defend them, and encourage them. I have three sons, so I've experienced that in triplicate.

I read 'Pushing the Limit' and 'Dare You To' by Katie McGarry. Fantastic stuff. I had never read young adult before, but now I'm a believer.

I'm from a lower middle class background; all my family were immigrants.

I think there's different parenting styles.

And if you are a parent, introduce your children to their neighborhood library. It will give them a real sense of independence to have their own library card and enjoy borrowing books.

My parents were very, very good about not separating us as kids from their adult friends. So on any given night, we'd have, like, this kind of freak show - artists and art dealers coming over. And these are the people I feel like I learned from.